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Toyota, Lexus to build more CUVs to meet surging demand

What was the biggest takeaway from the auto industry's 2014? Besides the fact that recalls are now a sad and mostly unremarkable part of a vehicle's life, it's that you can't be a competitive, mainstream brand in the US without a really strong line of crossovers, SUVs or pickups. We saw evidence of this as recently as Monday, when Hyundai unveiled its HCD-15 Santa Cruz Concept, and now we're seeing it again with Toyota. The company already has a comprehensive lineup of both mainstream and luxury CUVs and SUVs, although surging demand – sales were up 16 percent last year, Bloomberg reports – has led the company to increase its production tempo at the plants responsible for the RAV4 and Lexus RX. "The freeze is still in place until the end of March of 2016," Toyota's Jim Lentz told Bloomberg during this week's Detroit Auto Show, referencing the production bump at the Japanese and Canadian factories responsible for the models. "That hasn't changed. All indications are that it will lift, but right now it has not lifted." The increased sales are even spurring the brand to consider additional CUVs, including a compact that would slot in below the RAV4, Lentz told the business publication. Such a move would give Toyota a player in an increasingly competitive and important segment. In 2014 alone, mainstream brands, including Honda, Mazda, Chevrolet and Jeep, have announced brand new products destined for the compact CUV market. "We're going to have to look at how the market under RAV4 develops," Lentz told Bloomberg. "There's no question that it's going to. That's going to be the next growth spurt." Related Video:

2022 Lexus LS 500 gets subtle changes, the same price

The Lexus LS 500 glides into 2022 with a modicum of changes. The most notable update for new owners will be the retuned suspension, spring and damper rates adjusted to provide a more comfortable ride and anti-roll bars enlarged to tamp down body roll. On sedans optioned with the adjustable-ride-height function, Lexus said that feature has been "enhanced" to make getting in and out even easier. Output from the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 doesn't change from 416 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, but a trio of tweaks are said to upgrade the experience. Reshaped tops on the pistons deliver "quiet operation when cold" — as if engine noise has ever been a Lexus problem — and lower emissions. New wastegate control logic means better turbo efficiency. And the 10-speed automatic transmission gets recalibrated shift mapping to keep the engine in the meatier part of the power band. The other changes for every LS 500 trim start with Lexus making its Safety System+ 2.5 standard across the range. This adds active safety features like Pre-Collision System (PCS), Frontal Collision Warning (FCW), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Pedestrian Detection and Bicyclist Detection. Inside, Lexus says the infotainment system "provides additional control options for driver and passenger," without going into what those are. Those who option the Luxury or Executive Packages can get a new foil interior treatment called Haku. This is derived from 400-year-old the Japanese art of decorative gold leaf, the most well known being Kanazawa-haku, the leaf made by hammering gold until it was one or two ten-thousandths of a millimeter thin. Yes, you read that thickness correctly. The foil is so delicate that Lexus says it has to be applied by hand. Lastly, the 2,400-watt, 23-speaker Mark Levinson stereo can be optioned on the entry-level LS for the first time. Prices don't change from the current MSRPs for the 2021 sedan, the base LS 500 with rear-wheel drive starting at $76,000 and adding a $1,075 destination charge for $77,075 total. The rear-driven LS 500 F Sport starts at $80,675. Optioning either with AWD costs another $3,250. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2021 Lexus LC 500 Convertible Walkaround

Lexus electric concept car teased ahead of reveal next week

Lexus released another teaser for its upcoming unnamed concept car and also gave us an official release date. A digital world premiere is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, March 30, at 7 p.m. EDT. No new information was revealed, but the new teaser photo and video (found on Lexus’ site here) give us a better idea of what's coming. The shadowing makes it difficult to pin down, but this concept's silhouette already has us intrigued. It has the body shape of a sportback, but the ride height of a crossover.  Its nose is rather upright, and the quick view of the front reveals that the spindle grille is gone. However, some semblance of the spindle grille shape might remain — itÂ’s tough to tell in the dark shadows Lexus left us to look through, but there are jagged edges aplenty. Any kind of a massive front opening wonÂ’t be necessary for cooling, though, because this Lexus is electric. Lexus is showing off its LED lighting skills in this concept, as we can easily see some seriously exotic headlights and a light-up Lexus badge in front. Around back, thereÂ’s a similarly intriguing dashed taillight design. The gently sloping greenhouse looks like an aerodynamic design, hinting more at the electric nature of the car than we picked up on previously. We can still see the little spoiler in the back that the previous photo revealed, and the strange fin is in place, too.  Make sure to swing back in a weekÂ’s time to see the future of Lexus be fully revealed and learn all the details of what electric machine is coming our way. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.